Wheel



Aug. 20, 1940. H. D. Ma boNALD ET AL WHEEL.

Filed Jan. 6, 1939 Patented Aug. 20, 1940 senses ass Application January 6, 1939, Serial No. 249,628

3 Glaims.

This invention relates jiawheel for carrying a demountable rim. gj p'articularly, the invention relates to a wheel for use on a tractor or a similar vehicle in which it is desirable to vary the tread.

Variable tread wheels have become widely adopted for use in agricultural tractors andespecially those of the row crop type. Various forms of wheels have been devised, each including features adapting the wheel for such use. The fundamental theory behind most wheel constructions is the provision of a wheel in which the plane of the hub is axially dfiset with the plane of the wheel periphery or that portion providing the seat for the demountable rim. This type of wheel is adapted to be mounted on the vehicle in either of two positions; viz., with the hub portion disposed inwardly toward the vehicle body or with the hub portion disposed outwardly away fromthe vehicle body, thus providing a wider or narrower tread, respectively. Most of the'wheels are provided with axial] adjustment along the vehicle axle, thus increasing the number of tread positions obtainable. Other wheels have specially provided therefor removable lugs for engaging opposite sides of the tire-carrying rim which is mounted on the wheel. The provision of such lugs materially increases the number of parts to be handled when it becomes necessary to remove the tire from the wheel. Still other constructions have provided rim-engaging positions as integral parts of the wheel, thus eliminating approximately one-halt the number of parts to be handled. Wheels of this type, however, are open to the objection that the tire-carrying rim' is removable from only one side, i. e., the side on which the removable lugs are carried, and accordingly, when the wheel is mounted on the tractor with the integral lug portions facing outwardly, the entire wheel must be removed from the vehicle before the tire and rim can be removed from the wheel. These various disadvantages result in considerable expenditure of time and labor and militate somewhat against the adaptation of pneumatic tired Wheels to vehicles requiring variable treads.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a wheel construction in which a demountable rim is readily removed therefrom from either side, regardless of the position of the wheel on the vehicle.

An important object is to provide a wheel having improved rim-supporting means in the formof fixed or'rigidly carried lugs and detachable (Cl. Mil-24) lugs cooperating to permit achievement of the above object.

Still another object is to provide a wheel generally conventional in construction and having the improved rim-supporting means included thereon without materially increasing the cost of the wheel.

Briefly and specifically, these and other desirable objects are achieved by the provision of a wheel having a plurality of rim-supporting lugs. disposed about its periphery in 'clrcumferentially' spaced relation, certain of the lugs being integrally formed or otherwise normally fixed at one.

face of the wheel within one-half of the wheel periphery and otherlugs similarly disposed'at the other face of the wheel within the other half of the wheel periphery. Removable or de- 'tachable lugs are adapted to be secured to the maybe moved outwardly away from the wheel,

the remaining portion of the rim being readily freed from the remaining lugs.

. A more complete understanding of the objects and desirable features of the invention may be had from the following detailed description taken in connection with, the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the'improved wheel;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the same;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the wheel shown with a tire and rim in position thereon and with the wheel carried on the axle of a vehicle; and,

Figure e is a similar view showing the manner of removing the tire and rim from the wheel.

The particular wheel chosen for the purposes of illustration is generally indicated at Ill as being of the disk type. The wheel has a central hub portion ll provided with an adjustable clamp i2 for'mounting the wheel on an axle 13' of a tractor or other vehicle, generally indicated at it in Figure 3.. The wheel H! is provided with a peripheral portion l5 disposed in a. plane axially ofiset from theplane of the hub II. The

periphery of the wheel. The four lug portions,

- radially at the opposite face II, as at iii. In the preferred wheel construction illustrated there are eight seats or lug portions disposed about the at the face It of the wheel are consecutively disposed within one-half of the wheel periphery or generally at one side of an imaginary diameter drawn through the wheel. The lug portions i9 '15 at the opposite face ii of the wheel are consecutively disposed within the other half of the wheel periphery or generally at the opposite side of the aforesaid diameter. The total are of the wheel periphery delineated by either set of lug 2o portions l8 or is is less than 180 degrees.

Each of the lug portions l 8 or I9 is formed with a rim-receiving seat 20, which is preferably disposed radially outwardly of the peripheral portion l5 for purposes hereinafter-to appear. The

25 seats are adapted to receive a tire-carrying rim 2|, which in turn carries a pneumatic tire 22. The rim is mounted on the wheel, as shown in Figure 3, and a plurality of removable or detachable lugs 23 and 24 are secured to the opposite 30 faces l6 and II, respectively, of the wheel. The

lugs 23 and 24 are separately secured to the wheel by bolts 25, the lugs 23 cooperating with the integral lug portions l9, and the lugs 24 with the lug portions I8, to engage opposite side por- 35 tions of the rim center-well for mounting the rim on the wheel.

Figure 3 shows the wheel mounted on the axle of a vehicle with the hub portion ll facing or extending inwardly toward the vehicle body.

40 The clamp portion l2 on thewheel permits the wheel to be axially adjusted along the axle i3, and, to obtain other positions, the wheel may be removed from the axle I 3 and reversed thereon; that is, with the hub ll facing outwardly away 45 from the vehicle body, the tire 22 being thereby disposed closely adjacent the tractor or vehicle body H.

In removing the tire from the wheel, as shown in Figure 4, it is necessary only to remove four 50 lugs from the wheel, the lugs to be removed depending upon the position of the wheel on" the axle l3. As shown in Figure 4, the face I! of the wheel is facing outwardly from the vehicle and it, therefore, becomes necessary to remove only 55 four removable lugs 24. The bolts securing the lugs 23 may or may not be loosened, depending upon the ease with which the rim may be removed therefrom. The lower portion of the tire and rim, as shown in Figure 4, thus released m from the lugs 2|, is swung outwardly from the wheel and the upper portion of the rim is easily freed from the clamping action of the lugs 23 and the lug portions IS. The location of the rimreceiving seats 20 at positions radially outwardly 55 of the outer periphery of the peripheral portion ll enables the rim 2i to be easily and readily slipped over the wheel, there being no interference between the peripheral portion l5 and the .inner periphery of the rim 2|. The tire and rim 10 may be r'nounted on the wheel by reversing the aforesaid procedure. When the wheel is mounted on the axle IS with the hub portion H thereof facing outwardly, the procedure of removing the tire and rim from the wheel is somewhat similar to that outlined above. In this instance, however, only the four lugs 23, being now at the outside of the wheel, are removed, and the tire is swung outwardly from the wheel as before. The disadvantage heretoiore encountered in removing the tire and rim from the wheel has been eliminated and it is not necessary to remove the wheel from the axle when removing the tire; nor is it necessary to detach all of the lugs at one face of the wheel.

From the foregoing description of a preferred construction, it will be seen that a new and improved wheel has been provided incorporating means for mounting a tire-carrying rim on the wheel and that disadvantages heretofore encountered have been eliminated. Further advantages and objects other than those hereinbefore set forth will be apparent to those skilled in the art,

and it will be further appreciated that numerous modifications and alterations may be made in the construction of the wheel and in the adaptation thereof to other rims without departing from the spirit and scopeoi' the appended claims.

What is claimed is:.

1. A wheel for carrying a demountable rim, said wheel having opposite faces, a set of rimsupporting portions disposed in spaced relation about substantially less than one-half of the wheel periphery and projecting axially and radially in one direction at only one face of the wheel, and a second set of similar portions disposed about substantially less than the other half of the wheel and projecting axially and radially in the other direction at only the other face of the wheel, the portions in one set being respectively diametrically opposite the portions in the other set.

2. A tire and wheel assembly for demountably carrying a tire and rim on a wheel, comprising a wheel having opposite faces, peripheral rimengaging members carried by the'wheel in circumferentially spaced relation, said members being normally fixed on the wheel at one face thereof and within one-half of the wheel periphery, and a peripheral, rim-engaging member normally fixed on the wheel at the other face thereof andwithin the other half of the wheel periphery, a tire-carrying rim mounted on the wheel and having a center well, the aforesaid pair of rim-engaging members engaging the center well at one side thereof and the other member engaging the other side thereof, and a plurality of removable rim-engaging lugs carried by the wheel respectively opposite the aforesaid members and respectively engaging opposite sides of the rim center well for securing the rim to the wheel.

3. A tire and wheel assembly for demountably carrying a tire and rim on a'wheel, comprising a wheel having opposite faces, peripherally disposed rim-engaging means at one face of the wheel and lying within one-half of the wheel periphery, second peripherally disposed rim-engaging means at theother face, of the, wheel and lying within the other half of the wheel periphery, a tire-carrying rim mounted on the wheel and having opposite side portions respectively engaged by the aforesaid first and second means, and removable securing means associated and cooperating respectively with the aforesaid means and respectively engaging opposite side portions of the rim for securing the rim to the wheel.

HOWARD D. MACDONALD. WINFIELD S. BRINK. 

